A month back from her 14 day trip to the US, Olivia Perkins is still riding high from the experience.
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Olivia headed to the US to take part in the Global Young Leaders Conference and said the trip was an amazing look at other cultures.
“The friendships I was able to form and the connections around the world I’ve been able to make, was a highlight,” she said.
“I’ll treasure them and they are invaluable to my leadership and me as a person.
“I really do treasure the leadership experiences we were afforded as well, because its helped me grow so much.
“I was there with 400 other kids around my age from over 100 countries and being with one another and bouncing of one another we were able to break down cross cultural communication barriers that stood between us.
“Learn about different cultures, languages and ways of life in other countries. Which enabled us to develop the world view to partake in the leadership initiatives and programs,” she said.
Olivia said she had learned a lot of valuable lessons during her time overseas.
“I really enjoyed the process of politics and being able to debate things in a political forum,” she said.
“Being able to have academic conversations and debates with people who had a different view to me based on their own contexts.
“I found that really valuable because from that I could really develop my view, not only on Australia and our region, but our world universally and issues that face leaders today.”
Olivia thanked all of the Cowra community that helped make her trip possible.
“I would like to sincerely thank the support of the Cowra Education Foundation, Cowra High School and Max and Barbra Tomlin,” she said.
”I’d also like to thank my parents, and acknowledge their eternal support and guidance throughout this process. I’m truly appreciative of the grounding they’ve given me in life, and this is what paved the way to my Global Young Leaders Conference experience.
“But above all I would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Bruce and Margaret Weir Trust alongside Mr and Mrs Peter Chivers. I will forever treasure their kindness and remember this as I progress from here,” she said.
